The reddish-brown stag beetle belongs to the stag beetle family. It gets its name from its antennae resembling a deer’s antlers. Its specific name capreolus also has a similar meaning, translating to roe deer in Latin.
Size: 22–35 mm (0.87 – 1.4 in)
Color: It has a dark reddish-brown body with orange-brown femurs.
Other Characteristic Features: The elytra are smooth and shiny. Sexual dimorphism exists in the species, males appearing larger than the females, with bigger jaws, curved to replicate a sickle, alongcol3 antler-like antennae.
Its body is a transparent white, with orange-brown spots on each segment and a brown head. These larvae live in rotting wood and take two years to develop fully.
They pupate in the soil after completing the larval stage.
The eggs are laid in the rotting wood of the host plant.
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Eastern US and parts of Canada |
| Habitat | Deciduous forests; close to stumps and decaying logs |
| Seasons active | June to September |
| Diet of adults and larvae | Larvae: Rotting wood Adults: Tree sap |
While their mandibles look threatening, they are not aggressive to humans and only attack when disturbed. The pincers only hurt slightly and do no lasting damage. They also do not cause harm to trees, as they only thrive on the dead woods and not the fresh or living ones.
Image Source: i.pinimg.com, bugguide.net, lh6.ggpht.com, cdn.shopify.com, bugguide.net, whatsthatbug.com
The reddish-brown stag beetle belongs to the stag beetle family. It gets its name from its antennae resembling a deer’s antlers. Its specific name capreolus also has a similar meaning, translating to roe deer in Latin.
Size: 22–35 mm (0.87 – 1.4 in)
Color: It has a dark reddish-brown body with orange-brown femurs.
Other Characteristic Features: The elytra are smooth and shiny. Sexual dimorphism exists in the species, males appearing larger than the females, with bigger jaws, curved to replicate a sickle, alongcol3 antler-like antennae.
Its body is a transparent white, with orange-brown spots on each segment and a brown head. These larvae live in rotting wood and take two years to develop fully.
They pupate in the soil after completing the larval stage.
The eggs are laid in the rotting wood of the host plant.
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Eastern US and parts of Canada |
| Habitat | Deciduous forests; close to stumps and decaying logs |
| Seasons active | June to September |
| Diet of adults and larvae | Larvae: Rotting wood Adults: Tree sap |
While their mandibles look threatening, they are not aggressive to humans and only attack when disturbed. The pincers only hurt slightly and do no lasting damage. They also do not cause harm to trees, as they only thrive on the dead woods and not the fresh or living ones.
Image Source: i.pinimg.com, bugguide.net, lh6.ggpht.com, cdn.shopify.com, bugguide.net, whatsthatbug.com
